The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-27
rToRIEs OF THE WAR.
Remarkable Recoveries OF Men Who
Were Nearly shot TO Death.
rt..., IA Nam Nnt.I. SIM

From the NeU York sun.
WASHINGTON, Oct Eff the medical
coros Of the army should give their reminis-
cences they could add great many in
,eresting stories to the incidends OF the
war which make such popular reading to-
dsy." said an ex-army surgeon now connect
cd with one Of the departments in Washing
ton.
"In 1868. ] was the acting assistant sur
,roon of the Eighteenth Pennsylvania Cav
slrv We eros, - She Potomac at Raccoon
Fork. and marched to Frederick, where the
Command was changed, Gen. Hooker
>,,rceeding Gen. Meade at the head of the
djvision, and Gen. Stahel was made com
mandant of calvery, in place Of Gen, Pleas
anton
"On Sunday, JULIO 2, the first brigade was
engaged in small fight at Littestown, and
following that we had another little furry
at Red Mills. Then came the battle Of
Gettvsburg. l was detailed to take charge
0f the hospital at Hanover, which was a
q few miles away from the field, and two or
three DAYS after the fight poor fellow was
brought in who had been found in wheat
field shot all to pieces. He had lain in the
broiIing sun for three days without food or
shelter of any kind, and ne was in horri-
rible condition. His case seemed a hopeless
one from the moment we laid eyes upon him,
INIT everything was done to ease his dying
hours. and to make him comfortable as he
nassed out of this world. Under the direc-
ton of the supervising surgeon, a large
dose of morphine was administered IN
order that he might pass away with as
tttla consciousness of pain as possible.
But forty-eight hours afterward he still
lived. and did not seem at all inclined to
quit.
Just the young lady from Hanover,
who had been helping around the hospital,
asked if there were any special cases OF
which she might take charge. She was told
that there were, and was assigned to look
after this poor fellow. She did her work so
well that shortly after he was able to be
removed from the field hospital to a better
one, where he continued to improve, and,
shortly after, entirely recovered. This mans
name was McEwen, and he had been pri-
waite in Missouri regiment. When dis
charged as cOnvalescent he at once married
the Young lady who had done so much to-
ward saving his life and soon afterward re-
turned to his command, where he rapidly
arose in rank, and was finally mustered out
as a Captain"
There was another interesting case which
came under my observation. At the battle
of Billiards. Dam, seven miles below Fal-
mouth, Lieut.. w. G. Weeks of the Fifth
Michigan Cavalry, received a shot wound
in the foot which entirely shattered all the
interior bones. He was taken to the rear
and attended by Dr. Wooster of the First
Michigan Cavalry and DIR. Wood, of the
Fifth New York These surgeons at once
announced that his entire foot would have
to be amputated, but Weeks declined to
have the operation to be performed until he
had seen the surgeon eft his own regiment,
Dr. Arthur X. st. Clair, in whom ne had
the utmost confidence. AS soon as it could
be that portion of it could he saved. 1t
was late at night, but an improvised sur
geon's table was prepared and number OF
tallow dips were lighted in order that the
operation might be properly performed.
Then DR.. st Clair diSsected out all the an
terror bones of the foot and brought down
the heel bone so that it was directly under
instead of behind the extremity of the leg.
From this bone he removed the articulating
surface, and. bringing a fapof flesh around,
finished what is known as the PirogoH OPP
Grafton.
This was the first and only time that
this operation was performed during the
war. The neld hospital wos not very con
venient place for aman to recover from such
a waund as this had been, and Weeks was
sent on to Washington, where he mad quar-
tiers in the hospital on Armory square.
and decided that, inasmuch as there was
great danger of blood poisoning, and little
hope of saving even a portion of the foot, he
must submit to an amputation of the lower
portion of the leg. Weeks absolutely re-
fused to have this done. He said that DR..
St Clair had told him that with proper care
he might recover, and he believed in st.
Clair more than any other surgeon III the
army. This somewhat disguised the doc
tors, who had little time for sympathy in
those days, and Weeks was allowed to re-
main with very little attention. He laid
there for some weeks. growing constantly
worse and almost neglected, until one day
Senator Zach Chandler visited the hospital
looking for Michigan men.
Weeks heard his voice as he passed
through the wards and shouted to Chandler
that he was Michigan man, and that if he
did not receive attention he would surely
die. Chandler responded in his charac-
teristic style: 80 81 d..
by Cd if there is any care this side OF
h that Michigan man wants he shall
have it, and he was as good as his word.
Under the patronage of the Senator,
Weeks fingered along for some time, suffer
ing greatly from blood poisoning and from
malarial complications, but finally he re-
covered and was discharged. When last
heard from he was living in Allegan and
wore an artificial foot, upon which he was
able to get around very nicely"